


The Brightest Colors Fill My Head

by teasockschocolate



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, i wrote this on tumblr months ago but just got an ao3 whoops, the thing where you don't see color until you meet your soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 09:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13971849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teasockschocolate/pseuds/teasockschocolate
Summary: Phillip Carlyle didn’t need color. There were plenty of people that he knew who never color-bonded. And really, what was the point? He had his plays, his inheritance, his status. He’d rather have those things than not have them but be able to see in color. How one saw the world didn’t matter. It was how the world saw one that did.For her entire life, color had defined Anne. Those had color-bonded treated her like dirt because apparently she was the wrong color. She didn’t understand why it mattered, but it did. She was desperate to understand. Desperate to find someone who could show her the world.





	1. The Other Side

Phillip POV

A deafening cheer flooded the building as Phillip followed Phineas into the back entrance of the circus. Phones led him up the steps to the platform overviewing the ring.

“The show’s just about over by now, but we can catch the finale up here. Truly amazing. Brother and sister on a trapeze. The crowds love it.” Phineas was saying as they climbed the stairs.

When they reached the top, Phineas stepped aside to let Phillip walk ahead of him. Phillip’s eyes scanned the building. On the ground, the circus troop was singing and dancing while the crowd stomped in time. It was something alright. The band of misfits having an entire room of people cheering. This wasn’t the theater. It was something entirely new and Phillip wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

A figure was coming towards them, cutting through the air upside down. The trapeze swung up and Phillip saw a flash. He blinked and found himself face to face with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. His breath hitched in his throat when he eyes met his and there he noticed that was distinctly different about this person. Her hair was nothing he had ever seen before. He didn’t know what it was but it wasn’t the grey he had been seeing his entire life. It was bright and warm and send a strange sense of peace through his body.

But it was just a flash. A second later she was swinging backwards and was gone and Phillip felt a strange pang and found himself wishing she was back.

“Who is that?” He breathed.

“That’s Anne Wheeler. The star of the show.” Phineas smiled.

“Her hair…”

Phineas laughed. “She’s incredibly talented already but this show has to show the exotic so we make sure she’s extra special. That’s a wig, of course. No one has pink hair.”

“Pink?” 

Pink. Pink was a color. Phillip had heard his mother describe his little sister’s clothes and ribbons as pink when they were children. Pink was apparently the color of the flowers that bloomed in his window box. Pink was the color of warmth and play and candy. And apparently Anne Wheeler’s hair. It had been pink he had seen.

“Yes,” Phineas frowned. “You’ve seen pink before, haven’t you?”

“No…” Phillip said softly.

“Oh, you haven’t color bonded. I apologize for assuming.”

For a second Philip considered telling Phineas he was sure he had just gotten his first glimpse of color but decided against it. He didn’t need color, he reminded himself. And besides, there’s no way he could have gotten color from this Anne girl. She was a member of the circus and he was a Carlyle. He hadn’t seen anything abnormal about her other than she was strikingly beautiful, but she had to be here for a reason.

“It’s alright,” Phillip shrugged, trying to push that girl out of his head. “You have?”

“When I was ten.” Phineas smiled to himself.

“Ten? That’s quite young. Are you married to her?”

“Yes,” He grinned. “Charity. You’ll meet her and our girls soon enough, I’m sure. The girls love the circus. My oldest wants to dance so she adores Anne there.” He gestured up the where the trapeze had been. “Come now, let’s introduce you to the troop.”

________________

Anne POV

“Anne?”

Anne turned and saw her brother behind her, looking concerned.

“Are you alright? You looked shaken up after the finale.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just almost slipped.”

“Why?” W.D. frowned. “You never slip.”

“My hands were just sweaty I guess.”

“Okay,” He didn’t look quite convinced but let it slide. “Just be careful. We don’t need you falling up there.”

“Come on,” She smiled at him. “Let’s go backstage.”

She tried to push down the lump in her throat and pounding of her heart. When she’d swung up, Barnum had been there with a new man and she was sure she’d seen color when she looked at him. His eyes weren’t grey like everything else. They had been deep and calm. She didn’t know what color they were but they were a color and that both terrified and thrilled her.

“Anne! W.D.!” Barnum called from the foot of the stairs as she and her brother rounded the corner. “Come over here and let me introduce you to my newest hire. Mr. Phillip Carlyle.”

That was him, but she didn’t see anything different about him now. She must have been imagining it. She kicked herself mentally for being so stupid. She was never going to find her soulmate, if she even had one, and she wasn’t blessed enough for her’s to be this attractive man. By looking at him more closely now too, with his top hat and suit and the paler shade of grey he was, she was sure he was a white man.  
W.D. shook the man’s hand, but the man barely took his eyes off Anne. His eyes flitted to the top of her head repeatedly squinting as if trying to see something.

“What’s your act, Mr. Carlyle?” She said cooly.

“I-um-I don’t h-have an act.” He stammered nervously, still staring at her with wide eyes.

She met his eyes, desperate to see the color she had imagined. Nothing.

“Everyone’s got an act.” She pushed past him and could feel his eyes burning into her back as she walked away.

________________

That night Carlyle came up while the troop ate.

“Did you see that handsome little rich boy Barnum brought in” Lettie said. “What’s he thinking?”

“Barnum says Carlyle’s going to help bring in the upper class to the shows.” Tom said.

The Irish Giant scoffed. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Did you see how he was looking at little Annie?” Lettie laughed.

Several people around her laughed. Anne rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t looking at me.”

“Honey, that boy watched you like a puppy dog.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have.” W.D. said harshly which surprised Anne. Her brother never spoke in groups. “He shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t get us. There’s no way that he could.”

A chorus of agreement went through the group and Anne felt a sudden and strange urge to defend Carlyle. She had no reason to, but she felt herself pulled to him. She had been so sure that she had seen color when she looked at him. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. W.D. was right. Carlyle shouldn’t be here. She willed herself to force down the dull ache in her chest and push the boy out of her head.


	2. We Sail the Ocean Blue

The past few weeks, Phillip had tried to find excuses to watch Anne Wheeler defy gravity. She was mesmerizing. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she flipped and flew and he didn’t understand his deep desire to catch her and fly with her. The first time he saw her he saw the pink in her wig but had yet to see it since which frustrated him to no end. He didn’t know how color bonding worked, but he was desperate to color bond with her. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It was dangerous and didn’t make any sense but he couldn’t get enough of her and wanted to badly to speak to her again. His resistance had faded and he didn’t bother hiding his attraction to her and hope that she was his color mate. He hoped that he would see more colors by being around her, and he couldn’t be positive but sometimes he thought he did. Thought he caught a flash of something in her long curly hair when he watched her practice. Thought he could make out a shimmer of color on her lavish costume during the show. But then he would be blink and his world would be grey again.

The invitation to perform for the queen was huge. Phillip had to pull an insane amount of strings to get this to happen and he was thrilled. He announced it to the group and   
Anne spoke to him for the second time.

“Are we all invited?”

His eyes met hers and her shoulders and jaw tensed, her eyes widening for a second as if something about him had scared her for a second. He felt a flash of hope that maybe she had seen a color and it wasn’t just him. One way color bonding was rare but not unheard of, and he had been worried that if this was color that he was seeing, she hadn’t been seeing it too since they met.

He held her gaze until she dropped it to the floor. He didn’t know why she would be worried about not being invited, but he was thrilled she was acknowledging him and was eager to reassure her.

“I’ll saw that either we all go or none of us go.”

The group cheered. Anne met his eyes again with a smile that accelerated his heartbeat.  
_________

The boat ride to London would take roughly two weeks. Phillip couldn’t wait. Going to see the queen was an honor for anyone, and the troop’s energy and excitement was tangible. Also, Phillip wasn’t stupid. He knew that the troop had their reservations about him and he was hoping spending a round trip of four weeks in close quarters would give him an opportunity to bond with them. Not to mention time to grow close to Anne.

Phineas had suggested the group room by gender in order to make sure everyone had someone. Phillip had expected to room with Phineas, but Phineas had announced he was rooming with Tom and disclosed to Phillip that it was important to be one of the group. Phillip, following his lead, turned to W.D. and asked if he would be willing to room with him. W.D. stared at him in surprise for a moment before gruffly nodding.

W.D. was much larger than Phillip was and rarely spoke. Phillip had to admit, W.D. scared him. But, he was a member of the troop, and he was Anne’s brother. By getting closer to W.D., hopefully he could kill two birds with one stone and fit in with the group and get closer to Anne.

The morning the boat set sail, Phillip walked around the deck, breathing in the sea air. He’d never been sailing but his family had gone down to the Long Island Sound when he was a child. He’d always enjoyed the ocean. He wished he could see it in the magnificent color he had heard that it was. At the bow of the boat, he saw Anne standing, looking over the ocean with the sea breeze blowing her curls into the wind. An unconscious smile crept onto his face as he slowly walked towards her.

“I hope you aren’t going to attempt to do your flips out here, Miss Wheeler.” He stood next to her, far enough away so as to not scare her but close enough that he could see her smirk out of the corner of his eye. “While I don’t doubt your skills I’m not sure this is the safest place.”

“No promises, Mr. Carlyle,” She purposely leaned further over the edge of the ship. “Besides, I’ve never done what’s safest.”

“Clearly.” He laughed. “When did you start trapeze?”

She shrugged. “I’ve always been up high and swinging from things for as long as I can remember. It was never really trapeze specifically, just anything in the air.”

“You never had formal training?”

She scoffed. “Do my brother and I look like people that would be able to get formal training?”

He frowned. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“We’re not like you, Mr. Carlyle. We don’t look like you. Your people don’t like mine.”

Phillip stared at Anne. He wasn’t quite sure what she meant. She and W.D. looked fine to him. He still wasn’t sure exactly what made them abnormal. And then he realized. They were a darker grey than he was. They must’ve been a different race.

“You’re…”

“My brother and I were born into slavery.” Anne turned back towards the ocean. “We ran when we were little.”

“I didn’t know,” He said quietly.

She glanced at him. “Really?”

He shrugged. “ It’s not like I can see color.” Not full color, he thought. Not until you.

“Oh,” was all she said.

“Do you?” He was afraid to push her but he had to know.

She hesitated for a few moments. “No.”

“Oh.”

They were silent for a while.

“I’m sorry if I upset you, Miss Wheeler.” He said, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon.

“It’s fine, Mr. Carlyle.”

“Please call me Phillip.”

“Then call me Anne.”

“Alright,” He smiled. “I’ll be seeing you, Anne.” He dared to let his hand skim her shoulder as he walked away from her and in that second, he could’ve sworn the ocean was not grey. And he didn’t know it, but so could she.


	3. All the Stars We Steal From the Night Sky (Will Never Be Enough for Me)

Phillip POV

The standing room. Phillip shook his head to himself. Phineas had been right in the beginning. He and Phillip had to be a part of the group. So if Phineas wouldn’t put them with everyone, than Phillip would stand with them.

Jenny Lind was something alright. Her voice resonated through the theater with astounding power. Her words and emotions tugged at his heart and he was suddenly very aware that Anne was standing next to him. Slowly, as not to startle her, but filled to the brim with a newfound courage through Jenny Lind’s song, he let his hand brush Anne’s. After a brief moment, he felt Anne’s fingers lace through his and a hot warmth coursed through his veins. Keeping his eyes fixed on the singer, he wrapped his fingers around her hand.

As he did so, he noticed something change about Jenny Lind. Her hair was glowing, a dull but strong shade that was burning and intense. He heard Anne beside him sharply inhale and he knew that she saw it too. He bit back a boyish grin and reveled in the color that he was seeing. With Anne’s hand in his, he felt more whole than he ever had. She was it. He knew it for sure then and there.

The curtain behind Jenny was the same burning color that he now thinks is red. His sister had told him about colors when she color bonded with her now husband. Red is anger and passion. It’s powerful and dangerous and demands to be seen. He scanned the theater and felt his heart race when he saw that the seats were red, as were the twins’ shirts.

In his scan of the theater, he met the eyes of an older couple, staring at him in mortification. His parents. Like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he ducked his head in shame and dropped Anne’s hand as if it had burned him. He felt a breeze beside him and when he turned, Anne was gone. As was the color red.

The second Jenny Lind stopped singing, Phillip turned and slipped out of the crowd into the night. A braver man would have gone to find Anne now. A better man would have held onto her hand and defied his parents. But Phillip wasn’t a brave or a better man so instead he turned to the only solace he knew and walked into a nearby bar.

He slid onto a stool and ordered the a glass of the strongest whiskey they had.

“Rough night, handsome?” A feminine voice said nearby. A slender woman with pale hair and eyes sat on the stool next to him and grazed his arm. He pulled away and downed the drink.

“Aw, come on honey, it’s okay. Girl trouble?” She leaned forward, smiling.

He gestured for the bartender to give him another drink.

“That’s it, isn’t it? I can help you forget about her for next to nothing. Or we could make her jealous,” The prostate smirked.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” A familiar voice said above Phillip.

Phineas sat on the stool next to Phillip. “I’m surprised you’re not at the show.”

“I’m surprised you’re not with your new toy.”

Phineas sighed. “Phillip, this is for the best. If I can market myself as showcasing real performers than I’ll gain more respect and more people will come to the circus.”

Phillip laughed humorlessly and took another shot.

“What’s wrong, Phillip?” Phineas frowned. “Why aren’t you at the show?”

“My parents were at the show tonight. They saw me standing with them.”

Phineas groaned in sympathy.

“I had held Anne’s hand. And I let go. I let go because of my awful parents and now she’s going to hate me.”

Phineas sighed. “Oh, Phillip…”

“I don’t know what to do.” Phillip suddenly felt like he was going to cry, something he didn’t know when he had last done.

Several minutes passed where neither man said anything.

“Did you get color from her” Phineas said softly.

Phillip nodded, pursing his lips.

“And did she from you?”

“She hasn’t said, but I think so.”

Phineas sighed again.

“It’s illegal, isn’t it? Me and her?” Phillip thought he knew the answer but he so badly wanted to be wrong.

Phineas nodded sadly. “An interracial relationship isn’t unheard of, but no state would grant you a marriage license.”

“I wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to me again, so forget marriage.” Phillip laughed dryly.

“I’m sorry, Phillip,” Phineas laid a hand on Phillip’s back.

Silence fell between them for several more minutes before Phineas smiled. “I have an idea.”


	4. All I Want is to Fall With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this is the part i’ve been looking forward too and nervous about writing most because it’s my favorite part in the movie and personally may be one of the most beautifully choreographed scenes in any movie. I obviously can’t have them actually singing here so let’s see how it goes. Also, I feel like the actual moment itself wouldn’t be very long so I didn’t make it the long.

Anne POV

Anne flew through the air, channeling all her anger and pain into her practice. He was watching her, he always was, but he wasn’t stupid enough to try to talk to her again.

It had been weeks since Jenny Lind’s concert. The night that he had held her hand and for a second she saw color, and then he let go of her because people saw. She had been stupid to think that he was different than any others. He had been playing pretend that he was a misfit too, but when reality came crashing down, he was a rich white man and she was a black circus freak. She was angry, so angry, at him and herself and the world. She wanted was to scream at him, throw things, make sure he felt the pain that she did, but simultaneously she wanted to run to him and let him hold her. But she couldn’t. There was no use pretending that they could be something that they couldn’t. They were color bonding and that had to stop. The more color she saw when she was with him the harder it was to accept that they couldn’t be together.

“Anne,” Barnum called from the side of the rink. “Will you come into my office, please?”

She shimmied down the ladder and breezed past Phillip in the stands to follow Barnum backstage.

“Anne, you know I’m leaving soon to go on tour.” Barnum began, leaning against his desk.

“Yes, sir,” Anne said, confused what this had to do with her.

“Well, before I made the arrangements for the tour, I was going to see a play this evening. I know that you have been wanting to see a play, and as I won’t be able to attend  
anymore, so I was wondering if you’d like my ticket.”

“Really?” Anne smiled softly. “What about our show tonight?”

“I’m sure W.D. can manage alone tonight. Besides, you seem as if you could use a break.”

Anne beamed. “Thank you, sir.”

“Of course, Anne. I’ll leave my ticket at the box office. Go easy on yourself practicing as well. We don’t need you getting hurt.”

Anne nodded and all but skipped out of the office towards the dressing rooms where the troop lived. She slipped into the women’s room and fell back on her cot.

“What’re you so happy about?” Lettie smiled.

“Mr. Barnum gave me his ticket to the theater tonight.”

Lettie smirked. “Oh, right,”

Anne frowned. “You knew?”

Lettie smiled again. “No. Now let’s find you something to wear. We have to make sure you look beautiful.”

___________

Later the night, Anne stood in front of the Palace Theater in a long dress that Lettie had found for her. Lettie had carefully painted makeup on Anne’s face and twisted her hair on top of her head. Anne was still confused as to why Lettie went to so much trouble to help her tonight, but she was grateful nonetheless. A large crowd of people around her climbed the steps to enter the lobby of the beautiful building. Anne waited until most of the crowd had already entered before she took a deep breath and climbed the steps herself.

The lobby of the building was lavish and marble — clean and pale and beautiful. She tentatively approached the ticket booth. “Anne Wheeler. Mr. Barnum said he left a ticket for me.”

The man gave her a once over that made her feel even more out of place than she already did before extending two tickets to her.

She frowned. “Um, there’s only supposed to be one…”

“No, there’s meant to be two.” A familiar voice behind her said, reaching out and taking the tickets from the man. Phillip looked at Anne. “I wasn’t sure you’d come if I asked.” He gingerly extended his elbow to her, his eyes not leaving her face.

Well, he was right, she wouldn’t have. But here she was anyway. What the hell. She took his arm. “I’ve always wanted to go to the theater.”

“I know,” He smiled. “You look beautiful.”

Her eyes fell to the floor and she quietly smiled to herself, silently thanking and cursing Lettie for knowing Phillip’s plan all along and dolling Anne up.

“Phillip? Is that you?” A shocked man at the top of the stairs walked down to meet them, a woman right behind him.

Anne could feel Phillip tense. “Mother. Father. This is Anne Wheeler.”

Phillip’s parents looked at Anne and she wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her up in that moment.

“Phillip,” His father began. “Come home with us. Stop wasting your time with those freak and,” He scoffed at Anne. “the help.”

She whipped her arm out of Phillip’s and ran down the steps. She could hear Phillip calling after her, but he didn’t follow. She ran back to the circus, tears streaming down her face.

“Anne?” Lettie called. “You’re back early…”

Anne ignored her, still crying as she pulled her hair out of the stupid bun and changed out of the stupid dress into her practice clothes.

Lettie kept trying to talk to her, but Anne left the room and went to the ring. She was in the stands, adjusting her arm and feet braces when Phillip came in.

“Anne,” He said softly.

She ignored him, lacing up her braces far more violently than necessary.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly. “I didn’t know they would be there. I told them they can’t speak to you like that—“

“That doesn’t matter.” Anne snapped. “Nothing we do does. Whatever this,” she gestured between them. “is. It’s over. It could never work.”

She jumped off the stands, pushed past Phillip and his beautifully heartbroken face and began untying the ropes.

“I want you.” He said. “I know you want me too. And we both know that we’re supposed to be together. You and my parents and anyone else can say that this shouldn’t happen but I love you and that’s all that matters to me.” He tried to stop her from untying and to look at him but she crossed the ring to the other rope.

“Anne, why can’t we just ignore everything? Why can’t we just let go and be together?”

“You think I don’t want to?” Anne spun around to face him, clutching the rope. “I want to so badly but I can’t.” She turned back but he was faster and twirled her and the rope into him.

“You can. We can rewrite the stars.”

She gently pushed away, shaking her head.

“It’s not impossible.”

“It feels impossible.” She said softly.

“It’s not impossible.” He repeated, walking up to her so their faces were practically touching, wrapping his hand around her hip and she gasped. At his touch, she could clearly see the deep, mystical color of his eyes. He smiled. “You’re seeing this too, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” She breathed. She was also suddenly very aware that she was in flimsy practice clothes and felt a chill down her spine.

“Then why not forget everyone?" He murmered.

Okay, she almost said. God, she wanted to give in.

“We can’t. I wish it was that easy but it’s not. We’re bound to break.” She drank in the feel of his forehead pressed against hers, her heart aching as she knew this had to be the first and last time he was so close to her. So possessive and attractive and strong it made her want to throw caution into the wind and fly with him. “My hands are tied.” She whispered, stepping gently out of his embrace and leaving the rink quickly so he wouldn’t see the tears threatening to pour over her face.


	5. I'm Watching It Burn

Anne POV

Blue. His eyes were blue. So were Caroline and Helen’s eyes, as was the sky, Lettie’s favorite dress, and the blanket on her cot. She knew this because after that night in the rink, the color had stayed with her. She didn’t know why, but she was thankful. As much as it hurt to not be with Phillip, having blue in her life was a reminder of him. A painful reminder at times, but she was still happy that she got to see something. That her world wasn’t going to be grey until the day she died. She would get to see Phillip Carlyle’s eyes everywhere she went. There were worse things that could happen to a person. Much worse.

She hadn’t told anyone that she could see blue. W.D. seemed to know something was different about her, but he hadn’t pressed her. He had warned her several times about Phillip, but recently he had dropped the subject. No one in the circus mentioned him around her, and vice versa. It must have been obvious that something had happened between them. They didn’t stay in the same room anymore. It hurt too much to be with him, but it hurt to be without him as well. She couldn’t win.

This all went through her head as she positioned her wig on her head as she prepared for the show. She straightened her costume and left the dressing room, meeting W.D. outside and going to get into position for the opening number. They brushed past Phillip on the stares and her heart ached when she saw a flash of blue that met her gaze and flitted away just as quickly.

W.D. looked down at her in concern. “Anne, what’s going on with you two?”

She sighed. “Nothing.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

Her brother squeezed her shoulder and climbed onto his trapeze.

The show went by quickly. She just went through the motions at this point in the run. She went into the women dressing room, pulling off her itchy wig and massaging her scalp. 

She changed out of the flamboyant costume into her street clothes and wrapped her shawl around her.

Something was wrong. Usually the other girls were in her by now, and it was far louder outside than it usually was. She got up from her cot and opened the door.

“Fire!” She heard someone scream.

Her body froze. She looked around her and saw a steady flame consuming the walls of the building. She could see the color. It was hot and angry, the same color she’d seen a flash of of Jenny Lind’s hair what felt like years ago Wow, Anne, what a perfect time to see another color.

She forced herself to pull her eyes away and search for a way out. The back door was closet to her, and she wrapped her shawl around her face to prevent breathing in smoke.   
She ran out of her home as it crumbled around her into the cool Manhattan night. Her bare feet hit the cobblestone street and she raced around the building to find her brother.  
There was a large crowd in front of the museum screaming and crying. She saw her brother at the front of the crowd next to Lettie who was screaming something at the flames.

“W.D.!” She cried, throwing herself at her brother. He caught her and held her close to him, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“Oh god, Anne, we couldn’t find you!” He kept a steady arm around her.

Lettie and a few of the others looked between her and the building looking besides themselves. Barnum’s daughters pushed their way to the front of the crowd, their parents at their heels. Anne moved closer to the girls and Caroline wrapped her arms around her waist.

“Is everybody out?” Barnum panted. “Where are the animals?”

“We set them free, what else could we do?” Someone said.

Anne suddenly froze. Someone was missing. “Where’s Phillip?”

“When we realized you weren’t out yet he ran in for you.” W.D. said.

“What?” Anne screamed.

She and Barnum both lunged for the museum at the same time. W.D. and Lettie grabbed Anne and held her back as Barnum ran into the flames. His family behind Anne screamed in protest and W.D. had to lift Anne up as she wrestled with him as hard as she could.

The building collapsed and Anne’s heart along with it. She could hear the Barnums wail behind her, Helen scream for her father. But all Anne could see was the color of the flames. Dangerous and beautiful and powerful. All she could do was watch the color consume the one that gave it to her.

A dark figure emerged in the doorway of the circus and Helen screamed again, this time in joy. Barnum staggered through the night street, holding a bloody, smoking figure. He dropped Phillip’s body in front of the crowd and attempted to wake him up. Doctors came and lifted him onto a stretcher, carrying him away. Someone was screaming. A gut wrenching, horrible, heartbroken scream. She didn’t realize that it was her until she felt her voice break.


	6. From Now On (Home Again)

Anne POV

She kept vigil by his bedside. The doctors had tried to get her to leave. So did the troop and Barnum, but she refused to leave. She wouldn’t let go of his hand until… whatever happened.

W.D. sat with her for a while on the second day.

“This is my fault.” Anne whispered brokenly.

“No, no it’s not Anne,” W.D hushed her.

“He’s like this because he was trying to find me. If he dies, he died trying to save me.”

“He chose to go in, Anne. If he’d been patient enough to wait another second then he would have seen you were fine.” W.D. laughed softly. “But he didn’t because… as much as I hate to admit it, he loves you. And you love him. Don’t you?”

Anne nodded, tears spilling over her cheeks.

“Anne,” W.D. began carefully. “Have you— I mean— did he give you—“

“Color?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Shit.” W.D. sighed. “So it’s been real. All that looking at you he did. I thought he was just thought you were pretty.”

Anne didn’t say anything, just rubbed her thumb over Phillip’s still hand.

“He’ll be okay, Anne.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You deserve a happy ending, Anne. And I really think you’ll get one.” Her brother leaned over and kissed her temple before getting up and leaving. “I’ll leave you lovebirds alone now.” He joked.  
_______

The third day his parents came. One look at their son, though unconscious, hand in hand with “the help” sent them right back out the door.

That night Barnum came and convinced her to close her eyes in the chair next to his cot. “I’ll wake you up if he so much as moves a finger.” He told her.  
_______

The fourth day she started singing, praying, talking to him, trying anything that she could think of. At least one member of the troop had been by every day, more for her sake than his, to bring her food and talk to her for a little while.  
_______

The fifth day she read about Jenny Lind quitting the tour and having an affair with Barnum in the article. She told Phillip about it. Then she told him all the stories she could think of. The time she fell from a tree when she was eleven and broke her arm when she was trying to swing from branch to branch a good forty feet in the air. Losing her parents and leaving her life behind when she and W.D. escaped the plantation in Alabama and ended up in New York. She told him how much she missed him and how sorry she was for pushing him away for so long. She described the colors that she’d seen — red and blue. She told him they could rewrite the stars. All he had to do was wake up.  
_______

The sixth day he did.  
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Phillip POV

Ouch.

His body ached and he struggled to open his eyes. The mattress pressing into his back was unfamiliar. He didn’t know what had happened or where he was, he just knew that everything hurt. He forced himself to open his eyes and was instantly glad that he did.

Anne was there. His Anne. Her tired eyes were red from crying (for him, he realized), her hair was matted and disheveled, and she looked as though she hadn’t bathed in days but in that moment he had never seen anything more beautiful.

She was clutching his hand which was raised above him under her chin. His eyes flitted from their joined hands to her face and back to their hands, a smile creeping over his face.

“You’re here,”

She chocked back a sob, clutching his hand tighter before letting go, leaning down, and kissing him.

When she gently pulled away, his world shifted and he saw her in full color. Her hair was dark and streaked with sunlight, her skin creamy and soft, her eyes dark and warm. A bubble of laughter burst in Anne’s chest and Phillip wrapped his left hand in her hair, pulling her back down to kiss her again.

“From now on.” She whispered, stroking the side of his face and kissing him again.


End file.
